In Response for Mr. Joel Stein’s article in Time.com on June 24th, 2010. You can read it here! (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1999416,00.html)

I returned home tired, after two days in the sun, having baked my skin in almost 100F temperatures and near perfect (100%) humidity in the Rio Grande Valley, described by its residents as “a slice of good life”. I believe it’s their way of masking their woes living in an oven. I got home late, took a shower, looked at my much darker reflection in the mirror, and then realized that I should be thankful that I have a job to do, an important one at that, though it takes its toll once in a while.

I sat down opened my computer, which I haven’t had the opportunity to use much while in Weslaco, Texas. As usual after checking my email, catching up on all the RSS feeds, I logged in to Facebook, to see what’s the world up to, and found that most of my “Indian” friends were outraged by an article published in Time Magazine, titled “My Own Private India” by Mr. Joel Stein. Some called him racist, some hurled “shame on you time magazine”, and one even accused Mr. Stein of sleeping while the world shrunk around him, in the wave of globalization.

Having aroused my interest, I clicked on the link to find out what the hoopla is all about. As I begin to read, and finished it, this is what I really feel about your insecurities as an American, your deficiencies as a journalist, and your biased view of the world, sitting on your porch in some cave, if it can have one!

From the very beginning, you assert that you are in favor of immigration, and then you immediately contradict yourself by limiting who can immigrate, to where. I guess you haven’t made up your mind yet. It’s ok, that’s what the first impression of Americans is, insecure and indecisive, thanks to people like you, who jump out of the crowd, and become the face of the nation. The real Americans are much better folks than you are. Yes, thanks to the voice on the other end of the phone (no matter how heavy the accent is), some Americans do need to be constantly reminded that, rebooting your computer is the easiest thing to do, and solves a lot of problems.

You reminisce about your crime-filled days of early childhood, vandalizing your town, stealing from very establishments, and how much you miss it now. It’s ok with us, may be you needed to come clean now, it’s a heavy burden to carry, even for a college educated illiterate like you. I feel for your pain, that new generation of Americans are going to lose an opportunity to imbibe crime as a way of life, as more educated, and law-abiding Indians inhabit your town. But don’t they teach all of that on TV these days, or even Internet? I’m pretty sure, American kids can find ways to get their crime fix, if not, heck they’ll join their leaders and invade another country, there’s almost 250 or more left.

What you’re witnessing around you is “change”, and you’re channelizing your anger or your inability to deal with it, projecting on a community of Indians with a racist tone, who are very well doing the same thing as you, living the American Dream. Thankfully, you do accept it and come to terms with it later in your article.

You will never know, what people go through to make it to America. We all don’t have picket fences; live in Beverly Hills 90210, or Wisteria Lane. Our lives are far less glamorous. The realities of everyday life keep us grounded, yet give our dreams wings to fly, to improve ourselves everyday. We study, we learn, we adapt, we improve and then repeat, till we achieve what we’re after. It’s far too much for someone like you to even comprehend. For you, it’s no big deal. You were born here in America, the land of the free and home of the brave. Sure it is, here people have freedom to express their stupidity, and their bravery in antagonizing one of the most affluent and contributing segment of the American immigrant population, Indians.

It is not just our zeal to be in America, it’s a drive to better their lives, for themselves, their children and their family, if they can. Is that any different from any american would do? Now, here’s an alien word for you, Family!. Is it so hard for you to understand, that when you go to a new part of the world, you look for similarities with your own surroundings? A place where you feel comfortable, a place where you can see your children grow up, retaining at least some of the values, which you cherish?

Edison, NJ is one such place, but so are many other places, San Jose, CA, Brooklyn, NY, I can go on an on. It’s actually hard to not find Indians anywhere in America. You want to test it, go to any hospital in America, and look at the list of doctors attached to it, I’m willing to bet there will be an Indian on that list, even in a remote part of the country, where even American doctors don’t want to settle down. There are good chances that next time you need medical help, it will be an Indian doctor saving your life!

People move to a new place, stay close together in a new land, new culture, hoping to assimilate with time. Indians are no exceptions; take people from other origins, Germans, Dutch, French, Spanish they all stay in their own communities, all across America, creating a cosmopolitan environment which makes America what it is. These aliens preserve their culture, their cuisine, and their way of life, in doing so. I’m willing to be that’s what even an American does, when he/she moves to a new country. It’s only natural to stay within the confines of communities that represent a familiarity with back home.

I can’t stress enough about the deficiencies of US’s Immigration policy, it seems it’s still stuck in the mid-1960s. As for the foreign policy, what can I say, there has to be a reason why America is hated all over the world? Let’s just leave that conversation for one of your future articles.

Your image of Indians may have changed over time, from Geniuses to average folks, but that could very well be your myopic viewpoint. Most people associate Indians, with Doctors, Engineers, now IT, but that’s not all we have to offer. There is a reason immigrants are sought after by any and every multi-national corporation who dreams big. Ever care to ponder why? I know you’re thinking cheap labor. We’re not a cheaper alternative; we’re a better alternative, which comes at a cheaper price.

We can’t comment on the lack of creativity in racial insults hurled at us or people from any foreign culture for that matter. However, we don’t go around making disparaging remarks about your God or the Holy Spirit or how human he was in his appearance, unlike ours. We are much civilized than that.

Indian civilization is one of the oldest civilizations in the world. We have written references from thousands of years before Christ even came into the picture. The Vedas, or treatise (and there are four of them) are one of the oldest written scriptures in the world. Even back then, ancient Indians understood the value of nature, and made efforts to preserve what they had. They worshipped nature and the elements that gave, and supported life, including Sun, Wind, Fire and Earth. Thousands of years later, with advent of foreigners, dilution of our culture we ended up with millions of gods, in all shape and forms, one of them is depicted as a monkey (Hanuman), the other as an elephant (Ganesha), while other animals like cows, buffalos, snakes, even rats are associated with gods as well. How creative is that?

As for our cuisine or any cuisine that came to America with immigrants, Italian, Mexican, Indian, Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, German food around, what would you be eating otherwise? Whether you do or not, don’t assume that other folks share your dislike. We like our food spicy, the same way you like your bland Turkey and gravy, with corn bread.

I’m sure if Statue of Liberty (which BTW, was gifted to America by the French) could, it would cry inconsolably, knowing that it had become a symbol of America, home to people like you, ignoramus perfecti.

Some of us may be overdoing it, but most are masking the smell of blood, sweat and tears behind that cologne, we’ve shed in achieving a better life for us, giving back to the very country that took us in, provided us with an equal opportunity to succeed, against insurmountable odds. One thing for sure, you’ll never see us walking with our pants on the ground.